Saab JAS 39 Gripen

The Saab JAS 39 Gripen is a fourth generation, supersonic fighter aircraft which is in service with the Swedish Air Force since 1996. Its configuration and appearance resemble that of the French Dassault Rafale and the Chinese Chengdu J-10, with delta wing and canards. Thus, the Gripen is a highly maneuverable aircraft capable of making sharp turns and almost vertical climbing during dog-fight combat. Completely designed and developed by Saab Swedish engineers in Sweden, it is equipped with advanced avionics and a stunning array of weapons, including air-to-air, air-to-ground, and anti-ship missiles. Gripen means 'griffen', which is a mythological beast, with wings and head of an eagle and a lion body. It is the second Swedish aircraft featuring canards, the first one was its predecessor: the Saab 37 Viggen.

The first prototype of the JAS 39 Gripen was rolled out on April 26, 1987, on the 50th anniversary of the Swedish firm Saab. It first took to the air on December 9, 1988. Its maiden flight lasted 51 minutes and the aircraft was flown by pilot Stig Holmström, who had joined the Swedish Air Force in 1965. It was powered by an RM-12 turbofan engine, which is the license-made General Electric F404J. The Swedish manufacturer Volvo Flygmotor would later modify and improve the design and parameters considerably. The first technical problem that arose during the prototype maiden flight was the fly-by-wire flight control system. This made the aircraft to crash on February 2, 1989. However, all technical flaws and shortcomings would be fixed. Finally, after almost eight years of flight tests, this multirole fighter was introduced into service with the Swedish Air Force on June 9, 1996, as the JAS 39A. As of 2025, 330 aircraft have been produced.

Technical Description

The Saab JAS 39 Gripen is a single-engine, all-metal monoplane. The JAS 39A and 39C versions are single-seat fighters, while the 39D and the 39F variants are advanced trainer and attack two-seat aircraft respectively. The Gripen features delta mid-wing, with canard control surfaces. This configuration allows the aircraft to have excellent short take-off performance and an impressive rate of climb. The cropped delta wing is a composite, multi-spar structure, which is joined to fuselage by three titanium forgings. The available internal spaces of wing are occupied by fuel tanks. The wing has a 45-degree leading edge sweep, and large automatic computer-controlled flaps on the trailing edge. The movable canard surfaces are also made of composite materials.

The JAS 39 Gripen has classical retractable and hydraulically-controlled landing gear, with single main wheels and a twin nose wheel. The Volvo RM-12 is a two-spool, low by-pass turbofan engine, with a seven-stage axial compressor and a single-stage high-pressure turbine, delivering 12,000 pounds of thrust with afterburner. The JAS 39E and 39F version, however, are powered by a 13,500-lb, RM-16 turbofan engine.

Specifications (JAS 39C)

Type: multirole supersonic fighter

Crew: one

Length: 14.9 m (48 feet, 11 inches)

Wing Span: 8.4 m (27 feet, 7 inches)

Wing Area: 30 m2 (320 square feet)

Height: 4.5 m (14 feet, 9 inches)

Power Plant: one 12,000-lb, Volvo RM-12 turbofan engine, with afterburner.

Maximum Speed: Mach 2 (2,100 km/h)

Combat Range: 800 km (500 miles)

Service Ceiling: 15,240 m (50,000 feet)

Avionics: one PS-05/A pulse doppler radar

Armament: 6 Iris-T air-to-air missiles; two Taurus KEPD-350 air-to-surface cruise missiles; four Maverick AGM-65 air-to-surface missiles; two RBF-15 anti-ship missiles; laser-guided bombs.